Are you sick of reading the great success stories about the 40 under 40, 30 under 30, 20 under 20 and a 13 year old that started a business, made a million dollars and is now a consultant? After all, he has a wealth of experience to share, before his bedtime, of course.

I’m sick of ageism. It’s the one ism where discrimination is widely accepted, especially by those convinced that they will retire before they turn forty and never grow old. Of course the irony is that the ageists of today will be on the other side of the fence tomorrow.

Why is there Ageism?

You will hear the argument that as people get older they will slow down physically and mentally. While this is true, it is also true that many, if not most, people maintain the necessary skills to work in a vast number of positions in the business world if given the opportunity. And, while the forty, fifty and sixty plus crowd may need to brush up on the new technology du jour, they make up for it with life experience, patience, common sense and interpersonal skills which are rapidly decreasing amongst the growing generation of text crazed millennials for whom a real conversation has become a lost art.

Consider that when you look at most captains of industry, fortune 500 CEOs, boards of directors, and corporate advisors you will notice by the hint of grey hair that they are not kids. This holds true for the majority of successful entrepreneurs. In fact, a Google search of businesses that were actually started later in life will produce a long list of entrepreneurs that launched businesses over the age of 50, including the founders of McDonald’s, Coca Cola, Geico and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among many others.

So, why are we up against so much ageism in the business world? One of the primary reasons is psychological. The media promotes “young” so it becomes ingrained in the minds of employers and recruiters. While the over 50 sector has far more wealth than the 20-somethings, businesses want to market to a younger more impetuous audience.

Want to dig one step deeper? For decades, if not centuries, the younger generation has always wanted to gain independence from their elders. Why? It’s simple – mom and dad are restrictive while young people are seeking independence. So why on earth would you hire someone the age of your mom or dad? They will only rain in your parade. These older employees, simply “don’t understand,” which is a phrase owned and copyrighted over the generations by teenagers who (obviously) know much more than their parents. The reality, however, is that life experience brings with it a lot of “understanding.”

What Can We Do About Ageism?

Well, if you watch the television program Younger, starring Sutton Foster as a 40 year old (now 41) who landed a job in the publishing world by telling her employers she was 26 (now 27), the answer would be to “lie your butt off!” But not all of us look 14 years younger than we are.

Therefore, you need to stay current, be open to new ideas, reinvent yourself if necessary, bone up on technology and take good care of yourself. Statistics show that nearly 50% of the 55 million gym memberships in the United States are held by people 50 and older. Most importantly, if you are seeking a job or a well-deserved promotion, and know you can do the job, don’t take no for an answer. Ask if your age is a factor – when they say “of course not” push them for a better answer. Tell them you want to demonstrate what you can do. If you’re on the outside, ask for a freelance assignment and if you’re looking to move up the ladder ask to take on a project that demonstrates why you should be at the next level. Give them no legitimate reason to turn you down. If you still aren’t getting satisfaction, spread the word on social media and in articles (or blogs), that’s the only way discrimination in business slowly starts to erode away.

Make people aware of ageism in the workplace.

Rich Mintzer
Anti-Ageist
Author and Ghostwriter